A Very Different Potter
by Lady Jade Scribbler
Summary: To Ariella's eventual benefit, the Dursleys didn't want her. See how one little change creates a butterfly effect. Features a female Harry, raised in the USA, who doesn't take anyone's crap. Weasley and Dumbledore bashing, be warned. Other house Harry!
1. Chapter 1

A/N:

Yes, I couldn't resist it. I actually created a female Harry who was adopted and grew up in America. I simply had to do it, this chapter was a blast to write. I'm setting it in the modern year because I _will_ be making use of modern technology. I'm a child of the nineties so I don't know much about technology before we got a computer when I was in first grade. Plus, a tech-savvy Harry is always fun to write. I'll try to not make her too Mary-Suish, same with her OC family. I know her circumstances seem far-fetched and I don't even know if England calls children's homes "orphanages" anymore but I'm taking some creative license here. And I know that most eleven-year-old girls probably don't have steel-toe boots. But I _did_ have my first pair of cowboy boots at about that age and I didn't even grow up on the east coast. You can either assume that Ariella's boots actually have steel toes or that she was bluffing and managed to scare Weasley off because he was too stupid to think about the likelihood, it's your choice.

I also know that Lily Evans was _not_ a Slytherin but that extra plot point adds to my story so it stays. Ariella will _not_ be a Gryffindor and probably not a Hufflepuff. I'm leaning towards Ravenclaw or Slytherin. I'd appreciate your feedback on this issue. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Note 2: I made some changes as of June 19, 2012. I hope you like!

A Very Different Potter

Chapter One: Meeting Mo-Ron

In King's Cross Station, September 1st of 2011 was as busy as any other September 1st. This was especially true on a platform known only by a select few. This is, of course, platform nine and three quarters. Scores of families were sending their young, magical children off to Hogwarts, England's supposed finest school for magical youth. What many of the British magicals glossed over and what many first generations, here dubbed Muggle-borns, and their parents didn't even know was that Hogwarts was the emerald isle's _only_ magic school. But one particular family was well aware of this fact. Their middle child, the only adopted one of the seven children, would be attending her first year there. She wouldn't even be going if her biological parents hadn't and she wanted a little more of a connection with them. If not here, she would be attending the Cheyenne Academy of Magic in Colorado Springs, under Cheyenne Mountain.

But Ariella had insisted and so there they were. Sure, the fame of being the girl-who-lived was going to be way more annoying than it was back in the United States and they didn't even get her name right. Her nick name was "Ari," not "Harri," honestly. And _HARRIET?_ Ariella thanked God her parents didn't name her that. The name was hideous. Anyway, her adoptive parents didn't know her biological ones on a personal level. Chances were that someone in the school would, or would at least know someone who did. Despite her doubts about the school, the young red-head was truly looking forward to following in her parents' footsteps. She might decide she hated the place and leave at the end of the year. But then she could honestly say she tried.

At this moment in time, the naturally petite red-head was surrounded in a swarm of siblings with her adoptive parents hovering on the fringes. As stated before, Ariella was the middle child. She had two older brothers and a younger sister as well as two younger sisters and a younger brother. She loved them all fiercely. It didn't matter to her that they weren't her biological family; they might as well be. They saved her at age four from a miserable existence in a harsh orphanage located in London, spying her as the orphanage staff reluctantly took the children out to the park. She would always be thankful for that. With her family, she got the love she didn't get in her two years at the orphanage and _certainly_ didn't get in her year with her aunt and uncle.

"Make sure you phone at least once a week and email every day and... oh... I'll miss you so much, Ari." her mom, Elizabeth, cried as she swept her into a tight hug. Ariella reciprocated.

"You _gotta_ tell me if the rumors of Hogwash having no electricity are true." little Celesta said eagerly. Ariella giggled, straightening her four-year-old, "Four and a _half,_ thank you," sister's pigtails.

"It's called _Hogwarts,_ silly." nine-year-old Isabel said.

"But Hogwash sounds cooler." seven-year-old Ryan enthused.

"True. Hogwarts sounds like an infectious disease." fourteen-year-old Jake nodded.

"We studied the British magical government in history last year. The entire thing is diseased." seventeen-year-old Matthew said disdainfully.

Shut up, all of you. I'm going to Hogwarts, at least for this year, and there's nothing you can do about it." Ariella huffed, severely irked.

"I think they're trying to say they'll miss you, baby sister." 21-year-old Melissa, on a weeks leave from her position in the United States Air Mages, said as she gave her adoring sister a one-armed hug.

"All right, everyone. She's got to get on the train before it leaves." said their father, John, hefting his daughter's suitcase. The response of Ariella's siblings was a chorus of "I'll miss you`s and a tight group hug which she returned. With one last glance at her parents and six siblings, she took her cat carrier from her mother and stepped onto the train.

Sighing, she took her suitcase handle and began wheeling the large, black, "Muggle-style" monstrosity down the internal corridor of the train. All she wanted at the moment was a compartment to herself where she could settle in, read, and listen to music in piece. The textbooks were complete trash compared to those used by the Americans but she'd be damned if she'd let herself slack off her favorite pastime. At least someone had had the foresight to digitize most of the mainstream ones onto the magical versions of iBooks and Kindle. She didn't know what she'd do if she had to look at old-fashioned books with faint, archaically written script. Ari was just fine with her iPad, an easy-to-read font, and a sepia background. Though she wasn't _totally_ reliant on it, she was certainly greatful that the Americans had figured out how to get mundane technology to work around magic. A shame, really, that the European Confederation of Wizards, an international body of which magical England was a member, was keeping the entire magical population of the continent so backwards when their mundane counterparts were so advanced.

Eventually, Ari found what she was looking for and happily settled in. Levitating her large suitcase onto the overhead rack, as it was much too unwieldy for her to lift, she sat down by the window, her backpack on the seat next to her and her cat carrier across from her. The little gray kitten meowed in displeasure, putting her paws on the door.

"Sorry, Cleo. I can't let you out until the train starts moving." the preteen said aloud. The kitten glared reproachfully at her before turning away and curling around her squeaky mouse toy. Sighing, Ari looked out the window one last time and waved at the only family she'd ever known. Turning away, she rooted through her backpack and pulled out what she wanted. This included her Bows QC 15 noise reduction headphones and her iPad in its case. Less than a minute later, the playlist of her favorite songs was going in the background as she began reading her potions text for the second time. She was totally lost to the world around her. The only time she set her iPad aside was when the train started moving and she was able to let Cleo out of her carrier which was subsequently put under her seat.

Meanwhile, Ronald Weasley roamed up and down the train in a snit, dragging his trunk along as he did so. He hadn't seen any sign of Harri Potter yet. His mum had stressed the importance of making friends with her as soon as possible. She _had_ to be sorted into Gryffindor. Finally, he found an almost empty compartment where he could at least dump his stuff before continuing the search. He might even get the person who was in there to help him look. Throwing open the door, he went in and heaved his large, wooden trunk onto the rack. He rolled his eyes at the other student's bag. He could tell that the person was Muggle-born.

"Hi, I'm Ron Weasley." he said, throwing himself into the chair across from her. The girl didn't seem to be paying him any mind as she had a large thing on her head that went over her ears and her green eyes, behind rectangular, wire-rim glasses, Were fixed on something she was holding. On her lap, Ron could just see a bit of a little gray kitten. He touched his pocket protectively, hoping that the furball wouldn't attack his beloved Scabbers.

"Hello!" he said again, a bit louder. The girl didn't respond. How rude of her.

"_OI!"_ he finally shouted, getting impatient. He had better things to do than try and introduce himself to some nobody, Muggle-born first-year. Ariella jumped, taking off her headphones and switching the noise reduction off so as not to run down the battery. Her eyes fell upon the boy who sat across from her. He was tall and gangly but still looked no older than a first-year. There was a smudge of dirt on his nose and his face was freckled. He was a red-head, too, but its shade resembled more of a carrot, so bright it was almost orange.

"Sorry about that." she said at length, adjusting her glasses.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm Ron Weasley. Who're you?" he asked. He frowned at her, she only had the barest hint of a British accent under all the American in her voice.

"Ariella Coulter." she responded. Upon being adopted by her family, she had decided as a little girl to tack Coulter onto her original surname. Mostly, she just went by that. She didn't even bother warning the kid not to joke about how her surname tied into the His Dark Materials series. He didn't seem Muggle-savvy enough, or bright enough, to get it.

"Oh. Muggle-born?" Ron asked.

"What's it to you whether I am or not?" Ariella asked warily. Her parents had told her about the blood bigotry that ran rampant in European countries, especially England. The only part of the US where that mattered to anybody was the deep south, and that was with only a few old families.

"Just wondering, is all." he said defensively. "S'not like I'm some filthy Slytherin who's going to jump down your neck about purity."

"You saying all Slytherins are evil or something?" Ariella asked cooly. Her biological mother, Lily Evans, had been in Slytherin. Compound that with her being a first-generation and Ari's parents' relationship was the scandal of the decade. But it seemed as though everyone forgot what house Lily belonged in when she sacrificed herself for her daughter.

"Well they all joined You-know-Who, didn't they?" Ron shrugged. Ari clenched her fists but refrained from speaking. She'd deliver the identity bomb when she felt the time was right. If she said her mother was a Slytherin, she wouldn't be able to get any more information from the kid. She needed to know what the mindset of some of her classmates would be _before_ she revealed herself.

"I see." was her response.

"Yeah. I just thought I'd tell you seeing as you're Muggle-born and all." the kid shrugged.

"Who said I was?" Ariella asked, growing annoyed.

"Well, you've got bunches of Muggle stuff. Those thingies you've got there won't work in Hogwarts, I hope you know." Ron said imperiously.

"Yes they will." Ariella rebutted.

"No they won't. Muggle stuff won't work. It's in the ekeltrixy." Ariella rolled her eyes. The kid couldn't even say _electricity_ right. How pathetic. And didn't he have a more varied vocabulary? Couldn't he say "devices" or "contraptions" instead of "thingies" and "stuff?"

"It's _electricity."_ she decided to correct him. "And you're partially right. But, in the United States, the National Association of Technomancers found out how to make technology work using magic as a powering source instead of electricity _decades_ ago. A bunch of the big-time mundane conglomerations have magical divisions. The only reason you don't know about it is because their operations were banned in Europe by the European Confederation of Wizards. It might be illegal to buy and sell altered mundane technology in Europe but it's _not_ illegal to own it. If they made it so, they know good and well that other countries outside their control would have a fit so they haven't changed that law."

"...Okay..." Ron said, his blue eyes showing his confusion. "So you're American, then?"

"_Oh, very observant of you."_ Ariella wanted to drawl. Instead, however, she nodded. "Been living there since I was around five. I'm British-born which is why I'm going to this school in the first place. But I don't remember any of your funky British expressions." It was true. Ariella, as Ron had actually observed, sounded entirely American unless one was paying attention. If one was, they would notice how her British origins gave her slight Southern twang an interesting edge.

"Wicked. So you're _not_ a Muggle-born, then?"

"No. My adoptive parents both are, though. That technically makes my siblings halfbloods. So am I, by birth. Nobody really keeps track of that sort of nonsense, though, except for some old families. By the way, the terms "Muggle," and "Muggle-born," are rather frowned upon where I'm from. It'd be like calling a black person a negro and the child of a black and a white a creole of color or mulatto. People simply don't say that in everyday conversation. And I'll warn you now that I'll take extreme offense to the word "mudblood," if you are one of those that would use such a slur. It's like calling a black person a monkey or a... well... you know." Ariella trailed off.

"Sorry, no." Ron said stupidly.

"Starts with an N. I don't like saying it." Ariella frowned.

"What is it? I don't get it." Ron scratched his head in confusion.

"The word's nigger, all right? Don't make me say it again. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth, just like the other word... mudblood, if you've forgotten." Ariella stated briskly. Ron internally rolled his eyes. This American-raised chit was bloody annoying. This wasn't her _beloved_ country. He'd never call anybody a mudblood, of course, unless they really deserved it. But their was nothing wrong with the term Muggle, in his opinion.

"Fine." he said after an awkward pause. Deciding to change the subject, he began talking about his true objective. "Say, I've been looking all over for Harri Potter. Would you happen to know where she is?"

Ari rolled her eyes. Of course she _had_ to run into one of her little fans. She held back her birth name for awhile longer, though, as she wanted to weasel the boy's motives out of him. He was clearly up to something and she wanted to know what. It seemed pretty clear that, by his attitude, he was probably a Dumbledore supporter. They often feigned tolerance and the desire for equality but never went through with their vague promises. They tended to be bigoted in a more understated way than the pureblood supremacists. From what Ari knew, her birth father had been a mild supporter of the silver-haired politician until her birth mother made him see sense.

"Why're you looking?" she queeried.

"Because I wanna be friends with her. She's got to have loads of power and influence by now." he said, almost drooling. Ariella fought back a grimace of disgust. So he was power-hungry, was he? But she decided to wait a little longer before giving herself away.

"And if she doesn't?" the intelligent girl asked.

"Doesn't what?" he demanded.

"Want to be your friend, have any power _or_ influence in this country, take your pick." Ariella shrugged.

"No chance of that. We're gonna be mates, no doubt about it." he said smugly. It was then that Ari decided to mess with the moron a bit.

"Mates? Eeewww! Aren't we a bit too young to be talking about that?" she asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Whaddaya mean?" Ron wondered aloud.

"I doubt she'll be wanting to date you for years... if at all with you talking like that. And no self-respecting girl of eleven is going to be wanting to do the dirty with some guy, especially one she doesn't know." Ariella explained.

"But... but... but that's not what I meant. I just wanna be her friend." he whined. Then, probably thinking he was muttering the next bit, he said "Are all Americans this dumb?"

"Oh. So _THAT'S_ what you meant? You should be careful when you're talking to people from different countries, Ron. Mate doesn't usually mean friend in the US. We mainly use it in terms of animals and sex. Mated eagles, mated lions, mated badgers... even mated _snakes."_ she grinned at the carrot-top's slightly queazy expression. "And I have an IQ of 170, by the way, so I'm technically in the gifted and talented category.

"Okay then... I didn't need to here that. But I do admit that she'd make a bloody brilliant girlfriend when we're older." he said dreamily.

"Is that so?" Ariella cocked an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah. I'm the second-youngest of seven and I've got six brothers, all of them older. They've all done everything before me so whenever I do stuff they've done it first. Then, there's my little sister. She's special all on her own 'cause she's a _girl."_ he complained. Ari was really wanting to sock this sucker but she held off, yet again. She knew that there was still more to milk from this big-mouth.

"Gotcha. It must be _so_ hard having a nice, big family with blood parents and siblings and all. I'll bet it's simply _awful,_ truly." Ariella said sarcastically though she knew her biting tone wouldn't register in Weasley's thick head. She was the middle and only adopted child in the family and she would never _dream_ of bemoaning her very lucky lot in life. She could've been stuck in the system until she reached majority, she could have been adopted by an abusive family, she could have bounced from foster home to foster home, she could have been adopted only to have a second set of parents die, or she could have died in that very orphanage or on the streets of London.

"It is." Ron groaned, confirming what Ariella had already assumed: that he was an ungrateful asshole. "But if I married Harri Potter, could you imagine? I'd be as famous as she was; I'd be the Weasley that went down in history for something other than being a poor, Muggle-loving blood-traitor."

"And if she doesn't like you?" Ariella wondered aloud. "What would be your course of action then?"

"She'll like me one way or another... even if I have to make her." he boasted.

"Amortentia?" Ariella asked, feigning curiosity and a bit of eagerness to get in on the plotting.

"Better. Amor Servis." Ron grinned nastily. Now Ariella _REALLY_ wanted to give this little shit a beat-down.

"Hmmm." she made a noncommittal noise. "But did you know that if a woman becomes pregnant under the thrall of strong love potions like Amor Servis, her child might come out deformed, with multiple birth defects, _and_ an addiction to the potion? It's just like when mundane and magical moms-to-be are doing crack, pot, oxy, or whatever. A lot of those kids really suffer."

"Oh... I... erg... th-thanks." Ron looked about ready to puke at Ariella's graphics.

"Any time." she allowed a smirk to spread across her face.

"Sure sure. So anyway, have you seen Harri Potter or not because now you're just wasting my time." he sounded impatient now. This was it, this was the moment she had been waiting for. The bespectacled preteen grinned like a cheshire cat, rather unnerving the tactless oaf across from her.

"Do you see these boots, Ron?" she asked sweetly. Confused, his blue eyes glanced down at the floor across from him. Peaking out of the bottom of her jeans were a pair of shining black boots whose outline could be seen through the denim to go up to her mid-calf.

"What about them?" he asked, looking away.

"They're steel-toe, heavy-soled, dragon hide boots. Hybridian Black, to be exact. And do you know what I want to do with these steel-toe boots, Ron?" she asked, her voice taking on a dangerous air as she casually brushed her long bangs aside, revealing a lightning-bolt scar. Ronald Weasley was about ready to piss his pants. He'd been with the girl the entire time and he hadn't known. To make it worse, he'd just about spilled all his plans to her or given her enough clues to figure it out. His mum and Dumbledore were gonna kick his arse. "Wh-wh-what?" he stammered, his young voice, which was starting to be affected by puberty, cracking slightly.

"Kick selfish, greedy, lecherous little bastards like you in the nuts like my family taught me too. I will _never_ be your friend, I will _never_ be your girlfriend, and I will _never_ be this close to you _ever_ again! Now then, _MO-RON,_ I suggest you get your ass out this compartment or I'll make good on my promise to turn your little broom and bludgers into squashed sperm goop. Do I make myself clear?" Ariella hissed furiously.

"But... but I thought you said your name was Ariella. How... how could you _possibly_ be Harri Potter?" he squeaked, his voice much higher than it had been.

"Common misconception. My nickname is "Ari," not "Harri," and so, as a lot of people in this country seem to be fond of dropping their H's, they screwed up my name. I was born Ariella Rose Potter and I got adopted so I added Coulter to my name. Now get out before my foot slips." Ari snapped, her green eyes blazing. Gulping, the creepy carrot-top snatched up his belongings and high-tailed it away from the crazy American Potter


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:

Hi, everyone! It's me, Lady Jade Scribbler. Some of you might better know me as Lily Incarnate. I was getting really sick of my old pen name and thought it sounded too pretentious so I changed it. I think Lady Jade Scribbler fits me better, anyway. Sorry it's taken awhile to get this written. I'm meeting a huge writer's block on everything else so it'll be awhile for my other fics. This chapter was written up a few hours at a time in the span of about a week or so. I really hope that you like it. Draco will _not_ be a friend to Ari. I tried writing Hermione as a stuck-up, selfish know-it-all that Ari would lock horns with, so to speak, but it wasn't coming out right. I made them strike up the beginnings of a friendship along with Neville. I'm not saying Ari and Hermione won't clash as they definitely have very different personalities. What I am saying is that Hermione will _not_ be bashed here, no matter how easy she usually is to bash. She's one of my favorite characters and I'm happy to be leaving her alone this time.

Also, I have made some changes to Chapter 1 which I will be uploading shortly. The biggest is that I changed Ari's last name as I didn't like what I had chosen. I still don't, not really, so let me know if you guys have any suggestions. I want a good, normal last name for her that isn't too odd or Mary-Sue esque.

You guys might have noticed that I'm using American spelling for this fic instead of the British spelling I usually try to use when writing HP fanfiction. This is mainly because, though it takes place in England, the main protagonist, namely Ari, was raised American. The only time in this chapter I used British spelling was in "Berty Bott's Every-Flavoured Beans" as I added the u to the American "Flavored" since I was writing the exact name of the sweet, no matter if Sorcerer's Stone spelled it the American way. Also, readers please note that I'm American so I might overuse or misuse any British terminology and slang. If I do so, please let me know. Also, as far as Ariella's manner of speech, I don't really know what kind of colloquialisms an eleven-year-old in 2011 would use. I was born in 1991 and grew to be one of those "good girl" sorts who didn't really use much of the trendy fad slang that my peers did. Due to this, Ari's vocabulary might be slightly outdated. If so, just chock it up to her having an older sister which she is very close to and whose speech patterns she tended to mimic somewhat as a child. I have an older sibling myself, though the age gap is five years instead of almost eleven. I know this can happen.

Though Ari's speech might contain words that I personally use in real life so I'm not writing in current childhood slang I'm not familiar with, she is _not_ based on me at all. I do _not_ have a slight Southern accent, I am _not_ from a large family with members in the military, and I actually _like_ liquorice. The only other trait I gave her which I have myself is her fondness for American country music. Also, sorry to disappoint, but she won't be a Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, or... gag... _ JONAS_ _BROTHERS_ fan. I'm trying my best to not make Mary-Sues and Gary-Stus out of Ariella and her family. They, including Ariella, aren't perfect. Would you call a girl who makes a boy slug himself in the face perfect? I don't think so. And I know the scene with Malfoy and his goons is a bit unrealistic but this is FanFiction, people. Plus, that scene was just too fun to write. This chapter is quite long, perhaps my longest yet, but I really hope that you enjoy it. I know I do!

Cheers,

Jade

Chapter Two: A Dragon Named Peacock... or a Peacock named Dragon? Neville Longbottom doesn't have a Longbottom? And there's another literature reference? Oh, Joy.

Ari sighed in relief as the ginger fanboy plotter ran away from her compartment. She was glad that he'd had enough sense to do so as she was about ready to punch him in the nose. Her mom had told her often after she let her fists fly that violence wouldn't solve anything. Sometimes, though, it made things a heck of a lot easier. Ari doubted the kid was bright enough to heed her warnings for long; he'd probably continue bugging her. Ah well, she sighed, she'd just have to teach him the error of his ways.

Leaning back in her seat, Ari put her headphones in their case for now before slipping it into her backpack. Nobody was riding with her so she felt no guilt in letting her music wash throughout the compartment. Currently, she was listening to a randomized playlist of her favorite songs. She couldn't concentrate on her book right now and needed to relax a bit.

Hermione Granger sighed in exasperation as she walked down the corridor of the train. She'd offered to help a boy called Neville find his lost toad; he had been really desperate for help so she couldn't, in good conscience, refuse. She had been reading _The Standard Book of Spells, Year One_ for the third or fourth time in a row. She didn't want to be behind since she was a Muggle-born. She was determined to be more than just the bushy-haired object of every other student's ridicule like she had been in her primary school. She knew what purebloods called people like her: Mudbloods. she'd show them.

As she came to the end of the train, she began to lose hope she'd find the toad. It seemed to be quite the escape artist but Neville should have kept a better eye on him. Shaking her head of bushy, brown hair, Hermione opened up a compartment with a lone occupant. As soon as she did, an explosion of music assaulted her eardrums. The girl in the compartment had her head thrown back and was singing along to the ear-jarring rubbish coming out of the speakers of something on her lap.

"...Semper Fied tatooed on his left arm. Spends a little more in the store for a tag in the back that says USA! He won't buy nothin that he can't fix with WD 40 and a Craftsman wrench. He ain't prejudiced, he's just, made in America..."

"Ahem." Hermione cleared her throat irritably. The girl's green eyes met her own brown ones and a slender finger reached out to turn down the volume of the music. Hermione sighed in relief. The girl shook her head and a few dark red curls which had fallen out of her ponytail flopped around her ears.

Ari eyed the new girl curiously. She was of an average height with bushy brown hair, somewhat squinting brown eyes, and large front teeth. As she was already in her Hogwarts attire, it was hard to say whether or not she was familiar with the Mundane world. She had a bossy look about her that Ari observed practically as soon as she observed the other girl's stance. She was also wrinkling her nose at the music she was hearing which didn't help endear her to Ari. But, when she thought about it, a lot of British citizens wouldn't endear themselves to her as her music choice was mainly an American genre. The girl also seemed a bit uncertain as though the bossiness was simply a security mask. Ari decided to withhold judgement for now. Anybody had to be better than that red-haired jerk, Mo-Ron, right?

"Hey. You need a seat?" she asked casually. Hermione stared quizzically at the bespectacled girl. Why on earth was an American attending a British school? But did she have a trace of a British accent in her voice? It was so faint Hermione figured she had imagined it.

"No." she responded. "A boy named Neville's lost a toad. This is the last compartment there is to check. I hope you've seen it; he's so upset about losing it."

"Nope. Thought of summoning it? And if you don't know the spell, why not ask an older student?" the petite girl asked.

"Summoning charms? They have those?" Hermione breathed, excited at a new tidbit of knowledge.

"Sure they do. My mom said that the word was _accio._ I haven't ever done it before, though."

"_You're_ wizard-raised?" Hermione asked, surprised.

"Sure I am. You surprised or something?" Ariella queeried.

"Well... it's just..." Hermione trailed off.

"You were thinking that there ain't any magic folk outside Britain?" Ariella giggled. "Wizards and the like immigrate about as much as Mundanes do."

"I didn't know. I'm the first witch in my family, you see. My parents and I were ever so surprised but it's absolutely wonderful. The wizarding world is such a fascinating place; it's so different. I've read loads of books about it and I've memorized my school texts by heart. I only hope that it's enough." Hermione babbled. Ari nodded, contemplating. This girl was obviously intelligent and insecure in her own knowledge. Ari knew that, in order to reaffirm to herself that she was smart and belonged in the wizarding world, the girl would have the urge to unload any tidbit of knowledge she had on an unsuspecting person. She wouldn't be surprised at all if this girl was one of those who took books for gospel without looking at other sources or reading up on the background of the author or authors. That didn't mean this girl wasn't a good person and couldn't be a good friend, it simply meant she would likely tend to be a bit annoying at times and viewed as a know-it-all by others.

"I hardly expect that the teachers here will be wanting us to know everything the first day of classes. That's why they have it spread out over a year." Ariella assured her.

"But I'll be so behind!" Hermione exclaimed. Ari tried not to roll her eyes. She understood the desire to succeed, honestly she did. She supposed this was where the annoying bit of the brunette's personality kicked in.

"You aren't the only first-generation, you know. On average, there's at least seven who enter Hogwarts in a year. At least that's according to the data that the American Bureau of Magical Affairs collected. Just calm down. But I'm certain your friend must be frantic by now. I think you should go to the prefects carriage and ask them to help you. If you like, you can come back here after. You can ask your friend, Neville, to come if he likes." Ariella offered.

"Thanks. I almost forgot about poor Neville and his toad. I'd feel terrible if I had. I'd better go." Hermione said, blushing and scampering off. Ari grinned slightly at the girl whose name she didn't know. Relaxing into her seat, she turned up her music again. About fifteen minutes later, a kindly-looking witch pushing a cart of sweets knocked on the compartment door.

"Anything off the trolley, dear?" she asked kindly. Ari shrugged. Her mother had packed her some of her favorite sweets as well as some healthier things but she _was_ curious about these British sweets. In the end, she bought a few cauldron cakes, a couple chocolate frogs, a large box of Berty Bott's Every-Flavoured Beans, and a large pack of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum. Ari passed on the liquorice wands as she didn't particularly like liquorice. She also opted out of the pumpkin pasties as they sounded nasty and she didn't like pumpkin anyway. She'd had pumpkin pie once at a Thanksgiving get-together when she was seven... yurg. It put her off pumpkins for life save for jack-o-lanterns. Once the lady had gone and the compartment door was shut again, Ari got out her lunch, a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and began to eat. After all, her mother would have kittens if she ate dessert _before_ lunch.

Ten minutes later, Ari was belting out Miranda Lambert's "The House That Built Me" when the compartment door was thrown open. blocking the doorway were three boys about her age. Two were thickset and looked quite nasty. One of the two had a crewcut whilst the other's hair was stringy and greasy-looking. Neither looked terribly bright. The boy in the middle was the poster boy for pretty boy, Ari chuckled to herself. He looked like a textbook personification of a peacock. He was short and slender with a thin, pointed face, slate gray eyes, and white blonde hair which was slicked back with copious amounts of hair gel. Probably Sleek e. z.'s, Ari deducted, if the pungent scent was anything to go by. Plus, it seemed as though that was the only gel these British wizards used.

"Word on the train is that Harri Potter's in this compartment." the ringleader, AKA blond peacock, drawled.

"Word from who?" Ariella asked.

"Let's just say a little weasel told me. I simply _had_ to see if it was true. So are you?" he demanded.

"No," Ari said with a grin. Her scar was in full view and she was well aware of that.

"What do you mean _no?"_ the boy squawked. Jeez, he even _sounds_ like a peacock, Ari thought. Either that or a squeaky little ferret. She wondered idly if either of the two would be the boy's animagus form.

"I mean what I said. My parents named me _ARIELLA._ Ariella Rose. Learn it, _remember_ it. Or didn't Freckle-Face tell you that already? And I was adopted so I go by the surname Coulter anyway." Ariella retorted. Draco Malfoy shot the girl a contemptuous half scowl, half sneer as soon as he heard her speak. Potter was raised by Americans, was she? Probably by Muggles, Mudbloods, or Muggle-loving blood traitors, he thought scornfully.

"But you're still the Girl-Who-Lived." he retorted.

"Obviously." Ariella sniped.

"Then it is a... pleasure to meet you. My name is Malfoy, Draco Malfoy. This is Crabbe and Goyle." the blond said smugly, motioning to the boy on the left with the crewcut and then the other boy with stringy hair.

"Are you related to James Bond?" Ariella quipped.

"_WHO?"_ Malfoy demanded.

"You'd have to watch the movie to understand." Ariella giggled.

"I don't associate myself with filthy Muggles and their filthy Muggle toys." Draco sneered, angry that Potter was clearly a Muggle-loving fool.

"All the sadder for you, then." Ariella sighed.

"Look, Potter," Malfoy snapped. "I thought I'd introduce myself, especially as you're new here. There's some wizarding families here that are better than others, Potter. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." he held out a pale hand that was manicured to a woman's standards.

"I'm terribly sorry, Malfoy. But I don't deal with smug, smelly, stupid, idiotic bigots. By the way, it's _COULTER,_ Malfoy. Maybe you wouldn't be quite so pathetic if you didn't suffer from such a clearly long strain of inbreeding, _pureblood."_ Ariella sneered the last word, using his heritage as an insult. She had nothing against purebloods. However, she had a _lot_ against nasty little bigots.

"You'd better watch yourself, _Potter._ Unless you're a bit polite, you'll be going the same way as your blood-traitor father and _filthy_ mudblood mother before too long." Malfoy said menacingly, seething at the cheek of the Potter girl. Ari's emerald eyes flashed in anger and Cleo, sensing her mistress's distress, hissed in anger and allowed her claws to extend. Ari's hands were clenched into fists so that her nails dug into her palms.

"I suggest," she said in a rage-filled voice, "That you get out before you say something you'll regret. I won't let _ANYONE_ insult my family. Not my birth parents, not my adoptive family, and not my friends. If you're a bit _polite,_ Malfoy, and make like a peacock and fly, I _might_ stay my hand."

"But we're not ready to go, are we, boys?" Malfoy asked, trying not to let a tremor enter his voice. His two sidekicks nodded dumbly. "You've got such good food to eat and such a pretty kitty to play with."

"Hungry." the boy on the left, Crabbe, grunted.

"Love the tail." Goyle said stupidly. Crabbe and Malfoy reached for Ari's pile of food whilst goyle advanced towards the kitten. But suddenly, she and her human blurred into motion. As Goyle's sausage fingers attempted to grab her tail, Cleo jumped on his lowered face, digging her front claws into Goyle's cheeks and her rear claws into his collarbone.

"Aaaaahhhhh! Get it off, get it off, get it _OFF!"_ he cried. Meanwhile, Ari's left foot came up and the tip of her boot planted itself in Crabbe's stomach. The boy went down with a groan of pain and Ari wiggled her foot out of his rolls.

"Be glad I didn't deflate any balls." she growled. Draco, trying to make a stealthy getaway, was grabbed by the wrist and yanked around to face a fuming Ari. Bringing her hand closer to his elbow, Ari put her left hand on his back. As she pushed him forward from the back, she forced his right arm towards his approaching face. This weak little pureblood pansy had less muscle resistance than Ari had thought. Boy, it paid to have three protective brothers as well as a sister who was in the military.

"Stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself, stop hitting yourself." Ari mocked. Man, she'd been wanting to try that out for _ages._ She supposed that some stuff from cartoons really _could_ work if the situation presented itself. Once Malfoy was sufficiently dazed, Ari brought his face up close to hers.

"Never, and I mean _NEVER_ threaten me and mine again. And _NEVER_ insult my family if you know what's good for you. You got me? I said _do you got me?"_ Ari demanded, shaking him.

"All right, all right, just let me go!" Malfoy whined. Ari did so.

"Cleopatra, enough!" she ordered her cat. The kitten mewed sorrowfully and jumped off the prone Goyle, padding over and curling around her human's leg as sweet as you please. As fast as they were able, the three boys hurried out of Ari's compartment. Ari groaned as she flopped back on the seat's cushions. If this made it back to her parents, she was _so_ grounded. It didn't matter whether or not he'd deserved what they got, she had lost her temper again.

"What's going on in here? I heard fighting." the bushy-haired girl from earlier huffed, pulling a timid boy behind her.

"Pest control, that's all." Ariella shrugged.

"You're going to get in trouble before we're even at school. You'd better hope they don't tell the prefects." she admonished.

"I doubt it. I don't think the pride of three boys our age will allow them to say they got themselves creamed by one little girl." Ariella shrugged.

"You shouldn't be creaming _anybody."_ the girl snapped.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. They insulted my family and threatened me and my kitten. If Mom heres about this, she'll lecture me anyway so I don't need it double-time." Ariella retorted.

"All right, all right. May we come in, please?" the girl asked. As this was going on, Neville Longbottom eyed the spitfire red-head with slight admiration. Here was a female version of what his gran would want him to be: confident, fearless, and brave. He couldn't face people like she was describing without stammering and withdrawing into himself. Maybe he could be her friend? But who would want to be friends with a near-squib disappointment like him?

"Sure you can... um... what was your name again?" Ariella asked, somewhat irritated that the girl hadn't bothered until now. Then again, neither had she.

"You're Neville, right?" she motioned to the boy. As she spoke, the two moved into the compartment and sat across from her, shutting the door behind them.

"Y-yes, I'm Neville. Neville Longbottom." he stammered. Ari smiled at him. He was cute in a shy guy sort of way. He was a bit pudgy with leftover baby fat but he would grow out of that. He was a bit on the short side, too, but so was ARI. His face was round and his skin very lightly tanned. Somewhat wavy hair that was a dark blond, almost brown color sat atop his head, longish bangs almost brushing his eyelids. His eyes themselves were bluish-green and averted shyly.

"Nice to meet you, Neville. And you?" Ariella said warmly, directing her question at the other girl. Neville clearly was lacking confidence and self-esteem. In a way, he rather reminded Ari of who she had been before she was adopted, though she had been a bit harder than this boy seemed. She would have to fix that, too. He had potential, she was certain of it. Plus, he looked really nice and like he could be a steadfast friend.

"Ooh... right. I'm Hermione Granger." the bushy-haired brunette said, breaking Ari out of her musings. No sooner than the brown-eyed girl said that did Ari squeal happily.

"Finally, finally, _finally!_ Another literary reference. Hermione's a character from Shakespeare, right?"

"Erm... it is. How did you know that?" Hermione wondered.

"It's not like we're all uneducated oafs in the former colonies. We _do_ know of Shakespeare. Plus, my older sister, Melissa, went on a huge shakespear kick about three years ago. She wouldn't speak in anything but middle English for weeks." Ariella related. Hermione laughed, relaxing somewhat. Neville also let out a shy chuckle and allowed himself to sink back in his seat.

"That's from A Midsummer Night's Dream, right?" he asked shyly.

"That's right. Where did you here Shakespeare from?" asked Ariella.

"My gran. She made me read a lot of those classics." he answered, blushing. "I never thought I'd meet someone with one of the more rare names."

"I see. I suppose it is rather funny. Actually, my mother's name is Helen Beth. Say, what did you mean by _another_ literary reference?" Hermione questioned, Neville nodded to show he wanted to know as well.

"Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Ariella Coulter. No Golden Compass jokes, _please."_ she begged theatrically.

"Oh, haha. I'm certain you're nothing like _that_ hag. Wasn't it just a shock to find out that she was Lyra's _mother_ of all things?" Hermione asked.

"Absolutely. And Lord Azreal her father? Poor Lyra. I hated it when Roger died at the end of the first book. Didn't you?" Ariella questioned.

"Oh, yes." Hermione gasped.

"I... I'm a little lost here." Neville cut in, hoping the girls wouldn't mind.

"It's a series of books that take place in an alternate universe. It's really interesting; I'll lend you my copies once we're at school. They're not for everybody but you might love them." said Ariella.

"I'd like that." Neville nodded.

"I love those books myself. They're really good but I haven't started the third book yet; I got my Hogwarts letter and all my other books were pretty much forgotten. At least you seem familiar with Muggle things, Ariella." Hermione gushed.

"She tried to talk to me about a news report on something called the CNN that played this morning. But I didn't know what a CNN was." Neville elaborated, flushing pink.

"CNN, eh? I had a teacher who called it the Creepy News Network." Ariella snickered.

"Creepy News Network? It isn't actually called that, is it?" Neville asked.

"Actually, it stands for..." Hermione started before Ariella joined in.

"The Cable News Network." they wound up saying together.

"I o, I know." Ariella grinned. "It _was_ founded in America, after all."

"Oh... right. I'm sorry... I didn't know." Neville blushed.

"You don't have to apologize, Neville. I didn't even know what it stood for until I looked it up when I was bored, to be honest. These news networks usually use a three-letter identifier and most people don't know what it stands for." Ariella reassured the boy.

"Oh, I didn't think of that. The only thing like that we have in the magical world, at least in England, is the WWN. That stands for Wizarding Wireless Network." Neville explained.

"I'm surprised the British magicals have radios at all, no offense." Ariella stated, shocked.

"None taken. So you come from an American magical family, then?" Neville asked, speaking a bit more surely than he had earlier.

"Yup." Ariella said cheerfully.

"Neville, didn't you say you were a pureblood?" Hermione asked.

"Erm... yes. I am." he said after a moment.

So, what's it like growing up in a magical home?" Hermione asked. Ari shrugged, thinking of an answer. Neville looked undecided on how to explain. Eventually, Ari decided to speak first.

"Well, it's not all that different from growing up with Mundanes, at least for me."

"Mundanes?" Neville questioned.

"That's what we call _Muggles_ in the states, see. Anyway, Magic is freely shown in our house except for whenever we have non-magical guests over who aren't in the know. We live in a mainly non-magical neighborhood and my siblings and I have gone, or are going through, fifth grade in run of the mill public schools." Ariella explained.

"It's different for me." Neville began after Ari was done. "I grew up with my gran because my parents are... well... indisposed, I guess. I haven't met a Muggle face-to-face; I've only passed them when Gran takes me into Muggle towns sometimes. My family didn't think I was magic at all because I hadn't done any accidental magic. My great-uncle Algy threw me off the end of Blackpool Peer once, I nearly drowned." Neville related.

"That's awful!" Hermione cried.

"What right? What right do they have to judge you on whether or not you're magical? It shouldn't matter." Ariella said furiously.

"It... it's nothing. They found out I had magic when I was eight. Uncle Algy was dangling me out of a second-story window by my ankles when Great-Aunt Enid asked if he wanted some lemon meringue pie. That's his favorite, you see. He forgot he was holding me and dropped me. But I bounced all the way to the driveway at the other side of the manor. My gran was so proud she almost cried. But even then, they didn't think I had enough magic to get into Hogwarts..."

"Bull crap!" Ariella roared, startling Neville and Hermione both. "If you've got magic enough to do it accidentally, you're automatically accepted into the nearest magical school. That's an international law through not only the so-called ICW but the UNMD as well. I'll explain that later. I don't understand how your family could be so... so... so _abominable_ towards you, Neville. You've got magic, and even if you didn't, that shouldn't make a mite of difference to any of them. Why I oughta..."

"Hey... erm... it's all right. I did get in and Uncle Algy bought me Trevor he was so proud." Neville placated.

"A toad reincarnation of Houdini doesn't make things better, Neville. They shouldn't have put you through that, case closed." Ariella said fiercely.

"I... okay." Neville said, becoming as timid as he had been when he first entered the compartment.

"So... how would you know what living with mug... erm... _ Mundanes_ is like if you've got a magical family?" Hermione asked, trying to change the subject so things wouldn't be so awkward. Ari sighed. Maybe it would help Neville if she told her story

"I'm adopted. My biological parents died in the Voldemort war over here and I got sent to my Mundane aunt and uncle. See, Neville, this is why your family's treatment of you bugs me so much. I... I got shipped off to an orphanage a couple years later when my accidental magic became too much. They hated it, I was unnatural in their eyes just because I had magic and they didn't. They figured that I had ruined their _normal_ life long enough so off I went." Ariella said, her voice taking on a toneless quality that seemed so out of character for her.

"I... oh... so..." Neville trailed off.

"Opposite reasons, the same concept. That's why I get so defensive when I here about people with less-than-stellar home lives... and don't you deny it, Neville. Anyway, a year after I got sent off, my family spotted me when they were living in England for a time because of Dad's job. Another child had stolen my sucker and I summoned it from her before she could lick it. In light of this, they were able to fast-track my adoption with the help of the American magical government. I've lived in America in a magical home since I was about five but I still remember a bit what it's like not knowing about it." Ariella told the taller girl and the somewhat pudgy boy.

"Wow. I never knew'' I mean..." Neville trailed off.

"I know what you mean, Neville. You don't have to explain yourself." said Ariella with a slight smile.

"Yes. That's really interesting... I mean it's horrid your parents died but..." Hermione trailed off.

"Don't sweat it much. I can't remember them. That's why I'm here, really. I figure at least some of the professors will have known them. Otherwise, I'd be going to the Cheyenne Academy of Magic. I'll lend either of you a book later if you wanna know about American magical schools. I might as well tell you now that I have a bit of a reputation this side of the pond."

"Oh?" Hermione prompted.

"Wh-what kind of reputation?" Neville stammered a bit nervously. Ari sighed. She might as well get it over with. Taking a deep breath, she brushed her bangs away from her scar for the third time.

"Harri Potter?" Neville gasped, stupefied.

"_YOU'RE_ Harri Potter?" Hermione exclaimed at the same time, shocked.

"Gran told me about your family; she said our mums were really good friends but lost contact awhile after we were born." Neville said quietly.

"Oh... do you think she knew my parents?" Ariella dared to hope.

"Your dad? Probably. He was pureblood and had to go to certain functions as a kid. She probably didn't know your mum, though, since she was Muggle-born and Gran is my dad's mum, not my mum's." Neville explained.

"Oh. I understand." Ariella sighed a bit disappointedly.

"I've read all about you, of course. You're in _The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts_ and _Great Wizarding Events of the Last Decade_ and..." Hermione piped in, unable to keep silent any longer. Ari cut her off.

"I'm in _Blood Wars of Britain,_ _Codex of Crazy,_ and _Notable Youths of the World._ I don't need to be told what books I'm in. But I'll let you in on a little secret: most of those books are crap." Ariella retorted, annoyed.

"But... but they're official accounts of your story straight from Albus Dumbledore. He's a great wizard, I've heard. He heads up the wizengamot and the International Confederation of Wizards as well as Hogwarts." Hermione protested. Ari laughed outright.

"Great wizard? _Dumbledore?_ Oh you poor, poor Europeans. You've got to form your own opinion instead of letting one or two books form it for you." Ariella admonished her new friend.

"Gran's old-fashioned in a lot of ways but she doesn't care for Dumbledore much." Neville confided. "She says that if my parents hadn't trusted him so much than maybe they wouldn't be... well... the way they are."

"But..." Hermione protested.

"Just here me out and then you can make your own decision." Ariella implored. "And Neville, you can add in your two cents whenever you like."

"Oh, all right." Hermione agreed.

"I might." Neville nodded.

"Great! First off, me and those books. As I've said, they've got several things wrong about me, the most annoying of which is my name." Ariella started.

"Your name?" Hermione questioned.

"My name. Tell me, Hermione, what do you think my birth name is?"

"Harriet, of course. Harriet Lily Potter; the books said so.

"Wrong. I was born _ariella_ Rose Potter and I've got the genuine birth certificate, adoption forms, and visa papers to prove it. My nickname was _Ari._ Apparently, the guy that took me from my parents house on Dumbledore's orders has the tendency to drop his H's, especially when he's drunk. Or that's what Mom and Dad suppose happened. So, hearing him say "Ari," people in the Leaky and whatever other wizarding bars he went to thought he was saying "Harri". I guess that mistake is somewhat understandable because of the fact that a lot of people on this island speak in dialects where there H's are dropped most of the time, at least at the beginning of words. But what really gets me is that none of the lazy ministry employees bothered to unseal my birth records and Dumbledore allowed the image of "Harri Potter" to take hold." said Ariella.

"I guess that it makes sense a bit. I've seen Rubeus Hagrid a couple of time's... he's the bloke they say found you... and he speaks like he's from the West Country area. Gran never knew your name, either, so she couldn't have told me either way. And most of the people in the ministry are lazy; Uncle Algy complains about them all the time." Neville mused.

"But they really should have checked up on their facts before they published your name so much, honestly. Misinforming people doesn't do anybody a bit of good." Hermione huffed to Ariella.

"Now you see where I'm coming from, Mia."

"Mia?" Hermione asked, incredulous.

"Sure. Hermione's a bit long to use all the time, don't you think? And Neville, I think I'll call you Nev sometimes. It's nice and suits you." both Ariella and Neville blushed as she said that. "Anyway, Mia, not all books are completely correct or bias free. In fact, few are. And this leads us to Dumbledore. Tell me, Hermione, what do you find so great about him?" Ariella questioned.

"Well he's the headmaster of Hogwarts, for one thing. And he's the chief warlock of the Wizengamot, for another. And he also heads the International Confederation of Wizards. What else _could_ he be?" Hermione responded reverently. Ari snorted back a laugh and even Neville shook his head.

"Just because a man is powerful in the political arena, doesn't make him great... at least not if you equate great with good. Was Fidel Castro great? What about Osama Bin laden? The Kim family of North Korea? Adolph Hitler? Joseph Stalin? Hideki Tojo?" Ariella enquired.

"Those are... erm... _ Mundane_ dictators and terrorists, right?" Neville clarified.

"They were and are." Ariella nodded.

"Surely you're not saying Dumbledore is like _those_ men!" Hermione exclaimed. "The only sort of great they were was a great horror."

"No, I'm not saying Dumbledore is _exactly_ like these men. But he's been dragging down Europe for generations, England especially. Take the International Confederation of Wizards, for example. Outside of Europe, they're a total laughing stock. The only power they hold is over the magical citizens of their own countries." Ari said derisively.

"From what I've heard from my family, they're really slow about things. Gran said once a law could be introduced this year and not be passed for another century. That's probably stretching it..." Neville trailed off.

"Doubtful." Ariella sniffed. "Say, Mia, the word _international_ seems to denote the fact that they have control over _all_ the wizarding countries, doesn't it?"

"I suppose." Hermione conceded.

"But they don't. They have no authority or jurisdiction outside of Europe, even in their non-magical counterparts colonies. That is of course, as I said, not including their own citizens. The rest of the world calls them the _European_ Confederation of Wizards because this continent and some of the islands surrounding it are its only members."

"I didn't know _that!"_ Neville exclaimed, shocked.

"Yeah, it's true. Most other industrialized and developing countries, and even a few third world, fall under the banner of the United Nations, Mage Division. Some of the ECW countries do have representation in the UNMD because they were hired out by the non-magical governments but, unfortunately, they can't do much with the ECW still in power. The ICW _did_ exist at one time and they did a lot of good. I am, for example, mostly in support of the statute of secrecy. But the Europeans take it _way_ too far."

"How could that be taken too far?" Hermione wondered, thoroughly enraptured by what the girl was saying.

"Isn't it a good thing?" Neville asked.

"I'm not saying it isn't. As I said, I mostly support it. I totally understand the need to separate the non-magical and magical communities and all. If all the Mundanes found out about us, it'd be one big mess. But the member countries of the so-called ICW take the separation to an unnecessary extreme. If a so-called "Muggle" sees magic and isn't in the know, they're rounded up and obliviated without so much as a reason why or believable new memories to cover up the old ones." Ariella began.

"I heard that they obliviate Squibs sometimes by mistake." Neville shared.

"That's horrid!" Hermione exclaimed, indignant and furious. "It sounds like they're so hasty they'd obliviate _any_ - Mundane, was it - without even questioning them as to whether or not they know about magic or seeing if they are related to a magical, even if they aren't in the know. I think of my mum or dad or grandparents or other relatives in that situation and, now you've brought it up to me, it makes my stomach turn."

"As it does mine. I didn't really consider what they might do to those who _are_ in the know or aren't but are related rather closely to magicals. You bring up a really good point, Mia. So do you, Nev, by bringing those born without the ability to use magic who are born to magical parents into the equation." Ariella complimented her possible friends. "What they ought to do is see what a Mundane would do with this knowledge and obliviate on a case-by-case basis. For those who needn't be obliviated, a spell to keep the secret in is just fine. This is what the member nations of the UNMD do. We still honor the ICW's Statute of Secrecy although, technically, it hasn't been renewed in centuries. Not even by the ECW itself. But America and other such countries blend a lot more easily with Mundanes than the European magicals. People from my part of the globe are also more willing to incorporate Mundane inventions and discoveries into their everyday lives. I'm surprised you didn't comment on my iPad here, either of you. From what the British ministry and the ECW say, this shouldn't even work on this express, right?"

"Right." Hermione and Neville agreed.

"But what they want the European magicals to forget is the fact that the National Association of Technomancers from the USA have been able to make magic and electricity work together for decades. The only piece of magical tech they allow you to buy in Europe is the radio for your Wizarding Wireless Network."

"Seriously?" Neville breathed, shocked.

"Yeah. Sometimes, when major advances come out like personal computers and cell phones, it takes a year or two for the Technomancers to catch up and to incorporate these technologies into the magical world. But it _does_ happen. This is a genuine iPad 3, released for the magical population by Apple Mage. Sometimes, like in this instance, they're able to release technology to us magicals up to six month sooner than to Mundanes. It's really awesome because this isn't slated to come out for them until next spring. I've got the iPhone 4S, too."

"That sounds... well... that sounds _amazing."_ Hermione breathed, eyeing Ariella's iPad with thinly hidden awe.

"I've never seen anything like that before." Neville whispered.

"If you like, I could hook you up with some magic tech, both of you. And Nev, I can teach you how to work it if you don't know how. That goes for you too, Hermione. Then, you could keep in contact with your parents. Neville, you could use it for a lot of things, including organization and note taking. Hermione, do either of your folks have an iPhone 4 or Skype?"

"We have Skype on our home computer and we have an iPad 2. You're thinking of facetime or video calling them, aren't you?" Hermione questioned.

"Yup. It's a bit too noisy on the train here so we can call them later." Ariella promised.

"But what if we aren't sorted into the same house?" Hermione wondered.

"We'll meet during a shared break or after classes tomorrow." she assured.

"Thanks, Ariella. Mum and Dad will be thrilled about this." Hermione said sincerely.

"It's no problem. And please, Mia, call me Ari. If your parents agree, I can get you some pretty good stuff for a good price. Mom works for a technomancy research lab out of Apple Mage so I guess you could say I've a basket of apples. Though I do have the odd HP or two thrown in. My oldest brother, Matthew, is thinking of working for Microsoft or HP just for the heck of it." Ariella laughed.

"I... I see. How many siblings do you have? Are they all adopted like you?"

"I'm the only adoptee of the family. Dad had a job in England for a time working with some of the British representatives to the UNMD hired by the crown itself. An American magical was going around and killing random British women. Dad was a sort of investigator for the UNMD and had to help find out just what American magical was doing it. Then, Dad had to negotiate extradition of the felon to the United States. Luckily, the ECW didn't get involved or it could've become really messy. But he's retired from that job and works as an investigative detective for the North Carolina Auror division. That's about the only similarity to the US and England magic-wise. Both countries call their magical police aurors. His job is a lot less stressful. Anyway, on this job, he took the entire family. And that's when they found me like I told you earlier. As to your first question, I'm the middle child of seven. I've got an older sister, two older brothers, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. In age order there's Melissa, Matthew, Jake, me, Isabel, Ryan, and Celesta. We range from four to 21, birth dates as early as 1989 and as late as 2006." Ariella explained.

"That sounds crazy. I'm an only child and I have only a few cousins who I don't see much." Hermione replied.

"Same." Neville nodded.

"Gotcha. My parents each have one sibling but that's it. Neither Dad's sister nor Mom's brother are magical."

"So they're Squibs?" Neville wondered. "My family was sure I was one."

"I read about them. Non-magicals born into magical families. It's so sad how it seems they're treated over here." Hermione said sympathetically.

"We don't say the word "Squib" in the states, you guys. The word is just as frowned upon as the word "Muggle". We call them Nulls because the magic from one or both parents is mostly nullified in them. They have a small amount of passive magic but not enough to wield a wand or other focus. The US doesn't have as much incidence of Nulls being born as over here in Europe as inbreeding is strictly illegal. If you're both descended from magical families, they might even test you before you're married to see that you're not too closely related, if at all. As to your question, no. My aunt and uncle aren't Nulls. They're completely non-magical. Before you ask, that's because all four of my adoptive grandparents are Mundane. Auntie Lorraine married a Null man and they have a magical daughter. Uncle Jeff married another Mundane and their son is magical. It's basically up to chance, I guess."

"Oh, I understand. Sorry for assuming." Neville blushed.

"Hey, don't be sorry. It's nothing. It's an easy assumption to make, especially since I didn't grow up here and you don't know what American magical society is like." Ariella shrugged.

"I'd like to learn." Hermione said eagerly. Ari grinned. She was really starting to like this girl, even if she did seem to accept things a bit too easily. She needed to help this girl form her own opinions so she wouldn't be so easily swayed by others. She was also growing fond of Neville already, feeling a deep desire to help him gain some confidence in himself.

"Here," she said, handing over her iPad and digging out an extra set of over-the-ear headphones from her backpack. Ari had a thing about sharing headphones of _any_ sort with others, though she didn't mind sharing her electronics so long as they were careful with them. "You can look through the books on my library in iBooks or Kindle. I've got plenty of hard-cover books as well but they're packed away in my suitcase. You can read some of the books on my History shelves to get a better idea of what the magical world is like. I've got books on American magical history as well as books written by Americans or Canadians about magical history in other countries or globally. I've also got the history books that Europe sells to the masses. I suggest you read some of both so you get both sides of the issue. I don't want you taking me for face value. You need your own opinions, Mia, and these will help you. Don't worry if you accidentally drop it or knock it on the armrest or your knees or something. There's repair runes for minor stuff like that. Once we're at school, I'll lend you some of my hard covers on a more long-term basis. That goes for you as well, Nev."

"Thank you, Ari." she breathed, taking the items I offered to her gently. "Does it work any differently from a normal iPad?"

"Not really. There's just a few magical touches in the stores and such. Plus, it has access to the magic-exclusive sections of the internet. I don't know how they do it, Mom could explain it better, but they do something so that Muggles can't accidently find these sights. It's something to do with virtual warding or whatever. I'll know some day; I'm considering going into technomancy like Mom did." Ariella rambled a bit. Hermione nodded slightly, already engrossed in something she was reading.

"So... erm... what house do you want to be in?" Neville asked shyly after a few minutes of silence. Ari shrugged.

"I don't honestly know. My birth dad was in Gryffindor. However, my birth mom was in Slytherin."

"Oh. I knew that already... about your mum, I mean. It seems like everyone forgot and associates her with Gryffindor for some reason." mused Neville.

"I know. I'm not entirely certain where I'll go. I know I'm impulsive in some respects but that's only when it comes to defending people I care about like I did earlier with that Malfoy kid. I can be cunning, beguiling, and know how to get info from people but I don't think I'll go to Slytherin. I think that Malfoy kid aspires to be one and I don't want to sleep in the same area of the school as him and his cronies. Plus, Slytherin's got such a horrible rep now that it wouldn't do me any good. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff are probably my best bets." Ariella puzzled out. "What about you, Nev?"

"My mum was a Ravenclaw and Dad was in Gryffindor and that's where Gran wants me to go but I'll probably end up in Hufflepuff." Neville said gloomily. A fire ignited in Ari's eyes as she got off her seat and sat on her knees in front of her male friend.

"Don't say that! There is absolutely _nothing_ wrong with Hufflepuff. They're loyal, hard-working, and never give up. If I were your gran, I would be _proud_ to have a Hufflepuff grandson. I don't care what your grandmother wants, Neville. What I care about is what _you_ want. Understand?" Ariella said, taking Neville's nervously twisting hands in her smaller ones.

"I... I guess I do." he nodded.

"Good. Let me tell you something, Neville Longbottom. I would be proud to be in the same house as you, no matter what that is." said Ariella honestly, her green eyes meeting his bluish green. Neville shot her a tentative smile and thanked her quietly. And so started a relationship that would only strengthen with time


End file.
